Joanne Clyde taught English as a Second Language (ESL), reading and language arts at George Washington Middle School since 2008. She teaches students in grades 6-8, and the ages of her students range from 11 to 14 years old. George Washington Middle School has a population that is over 70% low-income and minority. Joanne is an active member of several school and district committees, including the District Reading Committee, ESL Committee, School Improvement Committee, and Scheduling Committee. She has routinely provided staff development to her peers on effective methodology, assessment and differentiation for English Language Learners in the mainstream classroom. She holds certification and endorsements in Middle School Education, Bilingual Spanish Education, Spanish as a Foreign Language, and English as a Second Language. As a TGC participant, Joanne developed strategies and competencies in global education in order to better prepare her students, meet their varied needs and to gain knowledge from the field experience that she can bring back to George Washington Middle School and the surrounding communities.

Joanne Clyde believes that global education expands the bounds of the classroom and students’ opportunities. Through global education, she believes students will become active citizens who will prompt positive change. In her Global Education Guide, Joanne provides an ELL unit plan on the Lost Boys of Sudan. Students learn about the Lost Boys of Sudan Crisis through different texts and then research other refugee crises. They use this information to find local organizations that support refugees and develop a presentation to persuade others to take action to mitigate a refugee crisis. Joanna also includes a collection of globalized lesson plans from multiple subject areas and grade levels. She traveled to Russia for her International Field Experience and a host of resources can be found on her travel blog.